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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23015713">The Weight of Words</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/katzaren/pseuds/katzaren'>katzaren</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Love Notes [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Legacies (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Hope's POV, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tumblr Prompt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:26:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23015713</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/katzaren/pseuds/katzaren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hope doesn’t want to meet her soulmate. The most hurtful words her soulmate will say to her are “I started the fire,” and Hope wants nothing to do with a pyromaniac. Until she hears the words from Josie and starts to wonder if maybe soulmates are a good thing after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Love Notes [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625962</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>207</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prompt: soulmate hosie where Hope is born with a soulmark. I would love to see Hope trying to get the girl.</p><p>This takes place during Legacies episodes 1x12-1x14.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Hope Mikaelson thought the whole concept of soulmates was stupid. She was destined to fall in love with a pyromaniac just because the words “I started the fire” were tattooed on her body from birth. Bullshit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking for someone who would say hurtful words to you was such a waste of time. There was no way a healthy relationship could start from that. She didn’t want any part in it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fire in question had destroyed most of her belongings when she was fourteen. Even though she knew someone was behind it, she didn’t bother investigating because she didn’t want to meet her soulmate. Let them get away with arson and stay far away from her. It was better this way, safer. As long as her soulmate never confessed what they did, she could pretend like she didn’t have a soulmate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just like Landon. He was born without words anywhere on his body. And he was nice and sweet. They were best friends ever since he showed up at the Salvatore School. She insisted on letting him stay even though he wasn’t supernatural.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had turned out to be a good thing since he was somehow drawn to the objects the monsters from Malivore wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope had just returned to the Salvatore School after losing the second object, the urn, to Agent Clarke. Things were awkward between her and Josie. In the car on the way back to the school, Hope and Lizzie found out that Josie had lied and told Lizzie Hope was spreading rumors about Lizzie being witch bipolar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope didn’t want to believe it. Josie was sweet and kind and it finally felt like they were becoming friends. She didn’t want to find out that it was all a lie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they were in Hope’s dorm room, Lizzie demanded answers about why Josie wanted to cause a rift between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie stared at Hope. “I didn’t just lie. I started the fire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope felt like her chest had been ripped open. What the heck? No, this didn’t make any sense. Josie would never do something like that to her. She had to be lying again, but the guilt in her eyes begged to differ. Subconsciously she rubbed the spot on her ribcage where those very words were tattooed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you didn’t,” she insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would you do that?” Hope blurted out, unable to hide the hurt in her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie bit her lip, looking nervous. She took a deep breath and looked at Hope. “I had a crush on you. I’d written you a love note and slid it under your door. Later I regretted it, but I couldn’t get back into your room, so I did a fire spell under the door. I was only aiming for the note, I swear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope’s breath caught. The knowledge that Josie used to like her filled her with warmth, and she was starting to understand the situation. She was right about Josie all along. She wouldn’t burn down her room to hurt her. That just wasn’t the kind of person she was. But there was something she said that didn’t make sense…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would it matter if I knew?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Later that day Lizzie told me that you said her soulmark words. I knew that I never had a chance with you if you were Lizzie’s soulmate. And then I was petty and told Lizzie you were saying mean things about her. I couldn’t handle you two getting together right then. I thought I could delay you finding out you were soulmates.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hope and I aren’t soulmates,” Lizzie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I said your words. Or were you just lying to Josie?” Hope asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lizzie shook her head. “I didn’t lie. You really did say the words. Or the word, really. But it didn’t hurt me, and it’s a pretty common word. Plenty of people have said it over the years. The words are supposed to hurt the most, right? That’s how you know it’s your soulmate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So wait, is Raf your soulmate?” Hope asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He hasn’t said the word yet, but I think it’s him. That’s why I started pursuing him so soon after he got to the school. I thought it might be him since his dead ex-girlfriend was named Cassie, short for…” Her voice trailed off and her cheeks went pink. She pulled up her shirt to reveal the silver word </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cassandra</span>
  </em>
  <span> tattooed across her ribcage in elegant script.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, dang,” Hope said, feeling bad for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s going to call you the name of his dead ex?” Josie asked, shocked. “You never told me that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lizzie shrugged. “It’s whatever. I’ve made my peace with it. I’m sure it’ll hurt when it happens, but I’ll get over it, and then Raf and I will be really happy together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to date your soulmate, Lizzie,” Hope said, rubbing her shoulder. “You can find someone else who makes you happy or date someone who doesn’t have a soulmark, like Landon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lizzie wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, I don’t want to date that hobbit. He’s not even supernatural.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t know that for sure,” Hope said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, whatever. I’m going back to my room to relax. You two work things out.” Lizzie slammed the door behind her, clearly annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope and Josie sat down on the edge of the bed and faced each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You had a crush on me?” Hope asked, her heart racing. It was just starting to sink in that Josie was her soulmate, and she hadn’t started the fire to hurt her. Her soulmate was actually a good person, someone she liked. It felt like her whole world was turning upside-down, but in a good way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I did,” Josie said. “Who wouldn’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Did. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hope couldn’t help but notice the past tense. Josie used to like her, but she didn’t anymore. That was four years ago anyways. It was only natural that she would be crushing on someone else by now. A few years ago Hope had a crush on her too, but that faded when she realized Josie was more interested in spending time with Penelope Park.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that Josie and Penelope were broken up, Hope might have a chance with Josie. But just because Josie was Hope’s soulmate didn’t mean she was Josie’s, and Josie could be against soulmates like Hope was before she found out who her soulmate was. Honestly if it had been anyone other than Josie, she wouldn’t go for this cheesy destined romance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to worry about me,” Josie said. “Actually, I’m sort of dating MG right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you are? I didn’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were kind of keeping it quiet because of Lizzie. You know how she gets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope nodded. She knew that very well indeed. “Is he your soulmate?” she asked and instantly regretted it. She was just setting herself up for heartbreak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, but I like him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good,” Hope said, trying to make her words come across as sincere. She was happy that Josie was happy, but she also felt insanely jealous. Josie used to like her, and she’d missed her chance with her. So much for soulmates being destined to end up together...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie and Lizzie both came down with a cold that night. And then all hell broke loose. They found Raf a confused mess. He’d shifted back into a human early on a full moon. Emma, the school guidance counselor, helped Hope try to find out what happened. MG and Landon were still missing. The three of them had gone on a trip together over break.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly the pieces came together. Kaleb and Dr. Saltzman found MG in the woods dying from a werewolf bite. Hope came as fast as she could, and they finally got their answer about what happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>MG had killed Landon. That was why Raf bit him. Hope felt like all the wind had been knocked out of her. Her best friend was dead. All the people she loved left her. She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing, and she cried out in pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was that why Landon didn’t have a soulmark? Because fate knew he would die before he ever met someone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope tried to push the thoughts away. She needed to give MG her blood so he wouldn’t die too. He was a ripper. Kaleb had told her that when they first found out. MG couldn’t control his desire for human blood once he got a taste. If the events had transpired before Raf turned into a wolf, he’d be dead too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stood up and walked over to MG to give him the cure. Thankfully the blood didn’t send him into another frenzy. He was likely too shaken and overcome with guilt. Kaleb took him back to the car while Hope ran after Raf to find Landon’s body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing his lifeless form was so much worse than Hope could have imagined. Hope hugged Raf, but then the body started smoking and burst into flames. Landon literally rose from the ashes, alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t make any sense, but Hope felt so relieved. Back at the school, Dr. Saltzman and Dorian determined Landon was a phoenix. Supernatural after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>MG holed himself up in his room for the next few days. Hope was worried about him. She knew the dangers of isolating yourself and blaming yourself for everything. But she didn’t want to try to talk to him before he was ready. That could drive him away even further.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kaleb made sure to keep MG fed with bags of bunny blood. She was glad he was letting at least one friend help him out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>During the third day of isolation, Hope decided it was time to check on MG. If he wouldn’t talk to her, she would get Emma to talk to him. She walked over to his room and knocked on the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It opened right away to Hope’s surprise, and Josie walked straight into her. She caught Josie by the elbows. “Josie, hey.” It was then she noticed Josie was crying. “Are you okay? Did he say something to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope’s chest felt tight. She knew what words could make Josie hurt. Her soulmark words. God, Hope wasn’t ready to find out MG was Josie’s soulmate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s talk somewhere else,” Josie said, wiping at her tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure. We can talk in my room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat down on the edge of Hope’s bed, and she waited patiently for Josie to tell her what was going on. She was dreading what Josie might say, but she had to be strong for her. No one else knew Josie and MG were dating, so of course Josie would want to tell her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“MG and I broke up,” Josie said at last.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Those were not the words Hope was expecting, but it did make sense. “Oh, no. He’s isolating himself after what happened with Landon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie shook her head. “He says he found out who his soulmate is, and he wants to see if anything can happen there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn.” That was one thing Hope hated about soulmates. As soon as someone found theirs, they just abandoned their current relationship like it was nothing. Was that how everyone thought of relationships? Just ways to practice or pass the time until you found your soulmate. It made Hope sick just thinking about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if she did pursue her soulmate, she wouldn’t just start thinking of her past relationships as worthless. She’d had some good relationships over the years and some bad ones. But they weren’t all suddenly meaningless now that she’d found her soulmate. Gosh, some people could be so selfish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Hope asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie shook her head. “I feel like crap. After what happened with him the other night, I just want to be there for him. I care about him so much. But he doesn’t even want to talk to me right now. Soulmates ruin everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope squeezed her hand. “Hey, he’s an idiot. Come on, let’s have a girls night out. I’m sure Lizzie is free since Raf is still not feeling well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them went to get pizza. They laughed and talked about silly things while they sat in a booth at the pizza place in town. Hope liked how normal things felt with Josie and Lizzie. They’d really become good friends lately, even if Lizzie still called her a “frenemy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope bumped against Josie’s shoulder, smiling at her. For a second it looked like Josie was blushing, but she turned her head to look at the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, look who it is.” She waved to Landon and Wade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They came over to talk for a little bit before they got their pizza to-go. Landon said he was bringing it to Raf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll come with you,” Lizzie said. “I wanted to check on Raf anyways.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They headed out of the restaurant, leaving Hope and Josie alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure she didn’t mean to abandon us,” Hope said. “She’s just worried about Raf.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie nodded. “Yeah, of course she would be. He’s her soulmate. He’ll always come first. Everyone always puts their soulmates first. I hate it.” She crossed her arms and leaned on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sudden thought occurred to Hope. She knew she shouldn’t ask, but she couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out. “Josie, do you not have a soulmark?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie jumped, giving her an embarrassed glance. “Don’t tell anyone please,” she whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope’s eyes went wide. She didn’t want it to be true. She wanted Josie to have words that she would someday say to her marked on her body, but now that she knew Josie was a blank canvas, Hope couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Josie was her soulmate, but Hope wasn’t hers. It hurt a lot, but it wasn’t the end of the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie was single now since MG had broken up with her. Hope would give her some time to heal of course, but then she could try to win her over. She would just need to increase her charm game and make sure Josie knew she enjoyed spending time with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope smiled at her. “It’s okay, Josie. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we go back to the school now?” Josie said. “I’m sorry, Hope. I really appreciate what you did for me today, but I think it’s time to go binge-watch movies and eat ice cream while I wallow about my doomed love life.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hope really wants to ask her soulmate to be her date for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, but danger lurks around the corner.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>For the Miss Mystic Falls competition, Lizzie announced that Hope would be the perfect candidate, but Hope didn’t want to win any dumb competition. Right now she wanted to focus on cheering up Josie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, Lizzie, I think Josie would be the best candidate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lizzie struggled to hide her surprise. “Josie doesn’t want to be Miss Mystic Falls.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know that?” Hope turned to Josie. “What do you say, Josie? I think you would be amazing for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie beamed. “Yeah, I want to do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lizzie forced a clearly fake smile. “Great. I’ll just go compile entirely new data. Why don’t you two look through these dress options and find one you like?” She held out a stack of pictures.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie and Hope sat down at a table together and looked through the pictures. “This one would be a nice color for you,” Hope said, pointing to one of the dresses. She twirled her hair, smiling at Josie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really like the flowers here.” Josie pointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope put a hand on top of hers. “Honestly, Josie, you’d look good in anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie pulled away her hand and looked down at her lap. “You don’t mean that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I do.” Hope was really trying to be flirty and charming, but she could tell Josie was still feeling the breakup blues. “Come on, let’s go see if there are any books in the library on pageants,” she said, thinking it would brighten her mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie’s face lit up. “Oh, yeah. We can see if they have any old pictures of past winners.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They headed for the library. On the way there they heard a bang from inside a storage closet. Curious, Hope magically unlocked the door and with a flick of her wrist the door flew open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both Hope and Josie’s jaws dropped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kaleb had MG pressed against the wall, and they were fiercely making out with each other. They didn’t even notice the door had been flung open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, guys,” Hope said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both whirled around and straightened up their blazers. “Josie, crap.” MG looked over at Kaleb and bit his lip. “We’re soulmates,” he explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Josie said. “Ohhhh. So he said your words that night you attacked Landon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>MG shook his head. “No, actually I said his.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kaleb lifted his shirt with no shame. His words shone in silver ink.</span>
  <em>
    <span> I’m a demon. So many demons in hell.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I thought soulmark words were supposed to be the most hurtful thing you say to someone,” Hope said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have no idea how painful it was to hear MG talk about himself like that,” Kaleb said. “I didn’t even connect those were my words at first. I was so caught up in concern for MG. And that’s how I know he’s really my soulmate. Words or no words, I love him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>MG blushed, trying to fight a smile that just kept growing. “I’m really sorry, Josie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t be sorry. I’m so glad you’re happy, MG. You really deserve someone who loves you completely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope and Josie left them to continue their fun and headed to the library.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you really okay with them?” Hope asked her once they were seated at a table with a stack of books.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” Josie said, smiling. “I know I sounded kind of bitter about soulmates the other night, but I still think it’s really romantic, even if I don’t have one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying Josie did. Or at least she could. If she wanted to be with Hope.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, look, here’s the winner from a few years ago. She’s wearing that same colored dress but no flowers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope laughed. “What do you have against flowers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have anything against them, but they’re Lizzie’s thing. I can’t just copy her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She can’t claim flowers as hers. You have just as much right to wear them too. You know, you would look really pretty in flowers, or you could put a flower in your hair or something.” Hope reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind Josie’s ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you suggest me for the pageant, Hope? Was it just because you didn’t want to do it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not at all. I suggested you because I thought you’d be the better candidate. You’re beautiful and sweet and genuine. Those fake girls won’t stand a chance against you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie nodded. “Well, thank you. I don’t think I’ll win, but it’ll be really fun to work on this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” Hope put her hand on top of Josie’s on the table. “Give yourself more credit. You can win this thing, I promise. I believe in you, Josie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Hope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They returned to their research. Hope was getting a little bit frustrated to be honest. She was happy to help Josie of course, but her attempts at flirting were being completely ignored. Maybe she wasn’t being obvious enough, or maybe Josie was trying to subtly give her the signs that she wasn’t interested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie knew she was bi. Hope had openly dated a few girls at the Salvatore school. A couple of witches and one werewolf. She probably just thought Hope would never consider her since she had such low self-esteem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m thinking about asking Landon to be my date to the pageant,” Josie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope jumped, startled. “Oh, do you like him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie shrugged. “I don’t know, but he’s the only other person I know without a soulmark. Seems the safest bet, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope gave her a look. “Don’t settle for him just because it’s easy. You should be able to go for someone you really like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no way they’d want to go with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope gave her a gentle smile. “I’ll tell you what. If you can’t find a date by the pageant, I’ll be your date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie looked surprised. “But why? Isn’t there someone else you want to go with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope laughed. “Like who? Seriously, who have you seen me flirting with in the past few weeks?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, that wasn’t true, but Hope just gave her a charming smile. “I’d be happy to go with you, Josie. But you should definitely ask your crush first. You never know what they’ll say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie chuckled. “Thanks. Will you be my partner for the dance practice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana’s mom studied Hope and Josie while they got into position for the dance. That damn woman had the harshest glare. Hope really wanted Josie to win her over. With how naturally charming Josie was, it was hard to imagine Dana’s mom hating her for long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope and Josie held their hands up and danced in a circle. Hope couldn’t keep her eyes off Josie. She was just so captivating, and Hope was still in awe that Josie was her soulmate. Even if they never got together, it was comforting to think that fate thought they belonged together. Though it still made her sad that Josie didn’t have a soulmark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dana’s mom was going on about the “intimacy of the near touch,” but Hope just wanted to get closer to Josie. The near touch was destroying her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the judges came by, Hope grabbed Josie’s hand and spun her around. The judges looked impressed and noted something on a clipboard. Dana’s mom was quick to remind them they weren’t supposed to be touching for this part.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the judges moved on, Hope met Josie’s eyes and they giggled. Dana’s mom was quite the character, but at least the other judges seemed impressed by Hope’s impulsive move. Hope’s hand still tingled with warmth from Josie’s touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lizzie arrived to take over with Josie’s training and Hope had some time to herself. She went to sit on the pier overlooking the lake. Her thoughts were kind of a mess, but she was enjoying spending time with Josie. She was selfishly hoping Josie wouldn’t ask anyone else to the pageant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Hope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope turned to see Landon walking over to her. He sat down next to her. He was smiling from ear to ear and looked like he was barely able to contain himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on?” Hope asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got a date for the pageant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, who?” Hope dreaded hearing the words. She told Josie not to ask Landon, but maybe Josie did like him after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Her name’s Nia. She goes to Mystic Falls High and she’s into comic books. I think she likes me. I mean, she asked me to be her date, so that’s something, right? Maybe she’d be willing to date someone without a soulmark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds great, Landon. I really hope things work out for you.” She meant it genuinely. It was about time her best friend got some happiness in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Landon bumped her shoulder. “What about you? Do you have a date?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Hope said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe?” Landon gasped in mock surprise. “Did someone ask you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I asked someone, but I haven’t gotten an answer from her yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you like her?” Landon asked curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” she said and suddenly she couldn’t hold it in anymore. “She’s my soulmate, Landon, but I’m not hers. And I know, I know I said I was completely against soulmates, but she’s actually so nice and kind. She’s strong too. Like I know she can protect herself. But she’s been really sad lately, and I just want her to make her happy, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure she’ll say yes, Hope. Who wouldn’t want to date Hope Mikaelson?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hope laughed. Talking to Landon was always a comfort, even if he didn’t always say the right things. “She used to like me, but maybe I missed my window. If I had just asked her out when I liked her before…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you shouldn’t beat yourself up about that. I hate to say it, but you probably weren’t ready to date your soulmate then. Does she know you were asking her in a romantic way?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I didn’t ask her exactly. I said if she couldn’t find anyone else I’d be her date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Landon gasped. “Hope!” He swatted her shoulder. “That is not how you ask out a girl you actually like. Let her know you have feelings for her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was right. She just needed to be direct with Josie, make sure it was clear she was interested in her in that way. She thanked Landon for his advice and hurried back to the school to find Josie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie was in the middle of training with Lizzie in the courtyard. Hope marched over, determined to talk to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I borrow Josie for a few minutes?” Hope asked sweetly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lizzie crossed her arms. “Every second of training is crucial. You want Josie to have a chance of winning, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll just be for a moment,” Hope promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lizzie huffed. “Fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie smiled at her shyly. She looked grateful for the interruption. They walked down the sidewalk so they could talk in privacy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is everything okay?” Josie asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, everything’s great. I mean, no, it’s not great. I said something earlier that I didn’t mean.” Hope bit her lip, not sure how to word this. She’d done a bad job of it earlier, and she was just worried she would make things worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it about the pageant?” Josie asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Hope said, glad Josie was on the same page. “When I said we could go together if you didn’t find anyone else, I meant…” Hope’s voice trailed off as she noticed a statue that hadn’t been in the courtyard on her way to the pier. “This wasn’t here before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The boys have been cleaning. Someone must have moved it here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It looks familiar,” Hope said, studying the statue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josie came up beside her and gasped. “I think, I think it’s Penelope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would someone make a statue of Penelope Park?” Hope’s laughter died as she looked at Josie’s ghostly pale face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Hope. I think that is Penelope. Not just a statue. Someone turned her to stone.” Josie was shaking her head. “I know she can be a bitch sometimes, but seriously, who would do this to her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think the better question is who </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>do this,” Hope said, frowning. She didn’t know any witch powerful enough to do a spell like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it’s another Malivore monster.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have to tell Dr. Saltzman.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They caught up to Lizzie and informed her about what happened. They went to find Dr. Saltzman and filled him in on what they found.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should we cancel the pageant?” Hope asked, worried. She wanted her night with Josie of course, but everyone’s safety was much more important.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we can’t cancel now,” Dr. Saltzman said. “We’ve agreed to host. It’s too late to back out now. Get the gang together. Landon, Kaleb, MG. If we all work together, I’m sure we can find out who did this.”</span>
</p>
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